Numerous medical situations, including traumatic brain injuries, involve treatments that include elevating a patient's head and/or shoulders. Conventionally, these treatments are performed by propping the patient up at a single, set angle, such as by using a pillow, bed, or gurney. While these techniques may be generally effective at maintaining a patient in an upright or partially elevated position, they do not provide the body an opportunity to prime itself for the elevation of the head and/or chest, which may result in less than ideal blood flow to the patient's brain.